Challenge Corner
Zip Dobyns
The twins in this issue are both male, born just four minutes apart, but with very different lives. Their birth data is October 28, 1963 at 42 N 2.5, 87 W 41.4. Twin One was born at 1:04 P.M. Twin Two was born at 1:08 P.M.
One of the twins has been a loner all of his life and has never married or had children. Their father changed his job when the twins were 12 and only told the family two weeks before the move which uprooted the boys from all their friends. (A younger brother born on November 12, 1967 also withdrew at the time of the move. He was later found to be epileptic and began having blackouts.) The twin described here started drinking after the move, later becoming a full alcoholic. He was always very competitive, tending to bully others when he could. He could be sociable but was not comfortable with women. He had a serious car accident in 1985 or 1986 and woke up in jail with a .28 blood alcohol count and no memory of what had happened. After this experience, he went back to college and got a degree in counseling and chemical dependency in 1989. He has stopped drinking and is now more pleasant.
The other twin was also disturbed by the move at age 12 but his reaction was to withdraw, read, and listen to music in his room. He was active in gymnastics in school and went on to study music but he dropped out of college after 3 1/2 years. Later, he became involved in new-age spiritual interests. He married on July 28, 1988 and has two stepdaughters and a third daughter with his wife. He also had a serious car accident which occurred on June 18, 1985. His leg was broken and he nearly died.
